


What the Water Gave Me

by DarkJediQueen



Series: Steter Week 2020 [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Steter Week 2020, selkie!Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25646386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen/pseuds/DarkJediQueen
Summary: Peter never expected to meet a Selkie. He wasn't even sure they were real before the seal turned into a human in front of him.
Relationships: Stiles Stilinski/Peter Hale
Series: Steter Week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849420
Comments: 12
Kudos: 286
Collections: Steter Week 2020





	What the Water Gave Me

**Author's Note:**

> **Year** : Future  
>  **Spoilers** : Everything  
>  **Notes** : For Steter Week 2020 August 1 Prompt of Free Day.  
>  **Beta** : Grammarly

Peter walked along the storm ridden beach with a smile on his face. It was storming out, so there were no humans around to see him using his Beta shift eyes to see through the storm. The weather was truly deplorable, but it was still warm, so the beach area he was at still saw a good bit of humans when the weather wasn't full of storms. 

The house that Peter was renting was just a little further up but was on a cliff. He had access to the beaches in this area. It was winter, so the storms were sometimes heavy in the area. Peter had the house for another month, He was happy that he had the winter to get things going. He laughed as he heard mammals playing in the water and turned his head to look that way. He itched to have his pencil and paper in front of him, but he hadn't got his shelter set up before the storm had hit. He would have to after the next had ended. There was an area right at the base of the cliff his house was on that would be perfect for watching mammals playing in the water. 

A bark from a seal had Peter looking at the water closer. He saw one on the beach area. He stopped when he saw that there was a small grouping of seals barking at another that was off on its own. He frowned as he saw another seal heading right for the lone one and slam into it. The seal rolled, and the wave carried it up onto the beach. It looked dazed. The other seals were all laughing. 

Peter wasn't sure that this was normal behavior at all for seals. He had never really paid that close of attention to them, but this seemed more like kids bullying than anything, and that was a human trait. He watched for a bit longer as the other seals kept charging the lone one until it finally gave up and stayed at the edge of the spray of the waves. The storm was still going strong, and it meant the waves were reaching further than it normally would. 

As the storm died down, the other seals stayed, and then the lone seal was fully alone trapped on the beach. Peter watched as it just stayed there. The rain was keeping it wet, but the dark was creeping on. Peter slipped back up the beach a little to where he could watch what the seal was going to do. Even as full dark came on, Peter watched, his eyes able to help him see the seal the beach. He barked once and then two more times, but there was no answer. Peter wasn't sure what was going on, but the seal moved up the beach until it was fully out of the sand. There at the edge, it moved. It's shape changed, and then there was a person standing up. 

Peter stumbled as he looked at the man who was standing there with a cloak of sorts on his back. Peter had heard myths about Selkies but had never heard of anyone who had actually seen one. It was one of the friend of a friend of a friend thing. He stared at him until the man turned to walk to him. Peter pulled his shift into himself and waited to see if the Selkie made it to him. 

"Who are you, Werewolf?" the man asked. His voice was soft and sounded younger than Peter thought that he looked. 

"Peter. Who are you?" Peter shifted back into his Beta shift and watched the man walk up to him. Getting closer than Peter was sure that he wanted him to be. 1

"You can call me Stiles."

"Interesting name." Peter had heard some strange ones with various wolves that he had run across. Usually, there was a basis for them, though. Stiles had no obvious etymology to Peter. 

"Yes, I heard it when I was a boy, a name someone called my human grandfather, and I liked it. Then I found out that he was a horrible man. It had grown to everyone by that point, so I could not stop people from calling me it. I started to own it and make it my own."

"So, you are not a full Selkie?" Peter asked.

"Selkies always mate with humans, Peter. My mother fell in love one summer with another man, and she lived on the land for him. A sickness took her, a human sickness that we have no cure for. She died, and I was alone with my father. We lived happily for a long time. Until he died as well." 

"So, you became an orphan?"

"Of sorts." Stiles' lips curled up in a smile. He reached out his hand. "Are you staying near here?"

"I am." Peter shook Stiles' hands 

"Do you mind a guest? I can go hunting in the morning for fish if you eat those and bring them back to pay for food."

"Money is no issue. I can easily pay for whatever food you want."

"And what do you want in return for that?"

"I'm part of a very strange Pack, but we deal in information. I would love to find out about Selkies and see what I can add to the unknown of you."

"Ah, an information dealer. Only if you answer the questions that I have as well."

"But of course." Peter held out his elbow, and he looked down at the naked man. "I think that some of my clothes will fit you. I have a washer and dryer in the house so we can wash things."

"I like hoodies, do you have any of those?"

"No, I'm sorry. I tend to not wear them, but we can look online and order a few for you if you want."

"I get very cold in winter in my human skin."

"Ah, yes. Your pelt." Peter eyed it where it was draped over Stiles' shoulders. It wasn't a cloak like he thought. Peter wondered how much of that was the truth. He could smell the pelt now, the smell of the salty sea, but under that was something else that Peter quite liked the scent of. It made his inner wolf purr a little in happiness. 

"You may touch it, but you cannot have it." Stiles' tone was sharp, and Peter knew that it meant that at least that part of the myths was true. 

"I do not want things that are not mine to own. I am not like those kinds of people. Your pelt is your own. I don't believe in owning a person, Supernatural being, or plain human."

"Then you are a rare breed." Stiles was smiling as he said it, and he headed toward where Peter had pointed where the house was. The lights were on inside—a bright glow to welcome them home.

"How do you feel about a fire?"

"Do you have something suitable to lay on?" Stiles asked.

"There is a rug in there, and we can throw a sheet over it and let you snuggle on that. I tend to light one at night."

"Fire can be fun." Stiles reached out with his hand and touched the faint scars on Peter's neck. "Though you have not always had a good time around a fire."

"No, I have not. My Pack stayed with me. They helped me heal as quickly as I could. They were kids, but they did well. I don't fear the fire. There is fear in anything, and you have to master it."

"It can be a mind-killer," Stiles said.

Peter laughed, and he unlocked the front door as they got up to it. He waved Stiles in first, and the man looked around. Now that Peter could see his face better, he was younger than he thought. He looked to be about Cora's age. Peter wondered at that. How long ago ha his father died? How long has he been on his own?

"What about your...colony?" Peter asked.

Stiles laughed and looked at him. His eyes were sparkling with mischief. 

"We are not a bob of Selkies. Pack works just as well, and I will know what you mean. They tolerate me, and that's about it. My mother was from a long-standing family in the Pack, and they cannot throw me out. But the others my age will do what you say today. One of the Pack elders will come back to the beach when they pass by again in a few days and call out to me. Find me."

"They do this often?"

"They are young and stupid, but they are the only family that I have left."

Peter understood that. His sister had tried once to run him off. It hadn't lasted long, and she had learned her lesson. Though life still hadn't gone well at all for the rest of the family. Derek, Cora, and Spencer had been at his apartment that night for the full moon. Peter had gone back to the Pack House to visit with the family that was in town. That was when the Argents had struck. His three nephews and niece had stuck by him. Peter had been in the hospital but awake, and before the kids could be shoved off, a friend had stepped in and allowed Peter to keep custody of them by helping him. 

Chris was still a close friend and had raised his daughter alongside a Pack of Werewolves despite them both coming from the longest and strongest Hunter family line. It had taken them both to raise the kids, and while Chris had been happy with life the way that it was, Peter had been happier leaving for short periods of time. After a few years away, they had all moved back to Beacon Hills for Spencer's high school years. The town had been changed a lot, and the local Sheriff that had run it well alongside the local police chief had been injured by a Wendigo. The family had arrived after he had been released from the hospital. 

Peter still ached for the man who had become friends with them. His son had run away after the wrong call had been made. Instead of officer inured, he had called officer down and that it was the Sheriff. Even now, years later, Peter had never heard the son's name. Pictures had been put away, and the Sheriff had made what Peter knew was a token effort to find him. By the time he had made it out of the hospital, the search had been long over. The kid wasn't anywhere. Peter wondered where the kid had gone that his father wasn't looking for him. If it wasn't for the way that the man talked about him and how much love Peter could smell for him, Peter would have thought that the man hadn't loved him all that much. 

Even now, years later, Peter wasn't sure what the young man had been, but the lingering scent in the bedroom that was still shut up told Peter that he wasn't human. He figured that it was why Noah had never really looked all that hard for him. He had probably ended up with his mother. Peter hadn't asked about his former wife either. 

"So will it pass muster?" Peter asked, finally pulling himself out of his thoughts. 

"Yes. It's very nice. You rented, right?"

"Yes. I needed a retreat to draw the scenes for my newest book and to start writing the next. I pick a place, and I go."

"Really? That sounds wonderful. Do you always pick beaches?" Stiles looked intrigued. His eyes were alight with curiosity.

"Not always, but I'm always near water. Last time it was a huge lake. I like the water."

"Hmm. How long are you here for?" Stiles asked. He walked over to where Peter had set up his drawing stuff beside the couch. He was still naked with the pelt draped over his shoulders. He didn't seem bothered by his nakedness at all. Even with his skin still wet. 

Peter wondered at how cold he did get. Peter was no stranger to nakedness. The Hale line was good at the full shift, and that meant that they were all used to being naked for periods of time before and after the shift, and if they were fighting when they were shifted, afterward, they had to clean up before putting clothes on. 

"Another month. I could extend if I wished. Why?"

"It's been a while since I've stayed in human form for longer than it takes to visit a town for a day with my Pack. You seem interesting, and at least here, I can slip away if I need and visit the ocean. I guess that all is if you mind a hanger-on for a month."

"So far, I don't hate you."

Stiles laughed at that, and Peter smiled. 

"Why don't you go up and shower to get rid of the salt on your skin. There is a bedroom up there that you can leave your pelt in, and I'll find some clothes."

"It's been ages since I've showered. I think I would like that. Will help me get warm." Stiles looked around the living room before he headed up the stairs. 

Peter busied himself in the kitchen as he listened to the sound of Stiles exploring. There were three bedrooms and an office upstairs. Peter had his laptop and his main drawing stuff set up in the office. He listened to Stiles flipping through the pages of the book before he headed back out and into the master bedroom. Peter ignored Stiles for a few minutes while he focused on the food he was making up before heading in to get the fire going. 

The sounds of the shower turning on had Peter smiling. Stiles seemed right at home doing what Peter asked him to do, and he was glad of it. That meant that Stiles felt safe. Stiles started to hum and then sing a little, and it wasn't until Peter was done getting the fire going that he realized that the sounds were not coming from one of the two guest rooms but the master bedroom. He looked up like he could see the Selkie though the floor. He got up to his feet and headed toward the stairs to go up and find clothes for Stiles to change into. He opened the bathroom door and found that Stiles had helped himself to clothes as well. It was just a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt, but the strangest thing was that they were what Peter had slept in the night before. 

Peter changed out of his wet clothes, he had mostly forgotten that he was in anything wet at all. He found a clean pair of jeans and put them on and a Henley. Peter snagged the one that he had worn the evening before and swapped it with the T-shirt in the bathroom. Stiles talked about being cold, so that would work better for him. 

"Doing okay?" Peter asked as he stayed in the bathroom. 

Stiles stuck his head out from behind the curtain and smiled. His hair was covered in shampoo, and he looked years younger than he normally looked.

"Yup. Are the clothes I picked, okay? You had them."

"Yes. I swapped the shirt for a long-sleeved shirt. It can work until we get you a hoodie or two. If you want to, we can even head into town tomorrow. I need to stock up on food, especially since I'll be feeding two."

"Oh, yes, and we can get curly fries for lunch?" Stiles asked.

"Along with a burger or something like that. Yes."

Stiles stuck his tongue out, and Peter almost darted forward to see if he could catch it between his fingers. He used to do it the pups when they were younger. Stiles' eyes raked up and down Peter's body, and even though he was clothed, Peter was pretty sure that Stiles was looking at him in a very meaningful way. 

"I'll head down and make drinks. What do you like?"

"I'm pretty easy. I'll drink anything." Stiles shut the curtain and stepped under the water. 

Peter could see the outline of his body darkening the curtain. Peter wasn't above seduction, but even though he knew that after being in wolf form for a while, being in human form was strange. He wouldn't jump Stiles right away. He would give him time to get used to his body before seeing if Stiles was willing to take this a little further. Peter had all of the time in the world to get to know this enticing creature in his bedroom. 

* * *

The sound of the waves on the beach below woke up Peter just like it had every single morning that he had been staying here, only this time the sound was louder. He turned his head to where the doors onto the balcony were and saw that the doors were already open. He saw Stiles standing there on the balcony with no shirt on. The storms of the day before had left the wind with a cool breeze, and it seemed like it was going to be a lovely day outside. Peter was looking forward to heading into town for the morning and getting the shopping done and then spending the day down at the beach. He wondered if Stiles would be up for it. His skin was pale white, and it made Peter wonder if he needed sunblock of some kind. 

Peter's healing stopped his skin from burning, so it wasn't needed for him. Peter watched as Stiles turned his head this way and that, scenting the air. He wondered how good Stiles's sense of smell was compared to his own. He also wondered how Stiles had got into his bedroom without waking him up. The other two bedrooms had windows that opened, but none of them opened onto the ocean like this one. He wasn't shocked that Stiles had wanted to be out in the air of the sea, but he had figured that he would wake up when Stiles entered his bedroom. 

"I'm hungry," Stiles said as he turned around. 

"So am I. Go through my clothes and find something that is okay to wear in public, and then we can head into town. We can do breakfast and then shopping."

Stiles nodded his head and started to walk into the room. He turned and pulled the doors shut, locking them. He looked at Peter next. Eyeing him on the bed. He smiled, and it was only when he got closer to Peter that Peter could tell he was up to something. 

"How do you feel?" Stiles asked.

"Why?" Peter eyed Stiles as he got on the end of the bed. He was balanced on his knees and looking at Peter, kind of like a predator looked at prey. Peter wasn't used to feeling like prey.

"Because I want to know." Stiles dropped to his hands and knees and crawled up the bed. There was no mistaking the intimate position that they were in, nor could Peter dismiss the new scent that was filling the room. It was something that Peter had never smelled before. A combination of scents that left his mouth watering. 

"And why do you think you deserve to know?" Peter tested the waters by putting his hands on Stiles' hips as he sat up, looking down at Peter with a grin on his lips. Peter rubbed his thumb under the edge of the Henley that Stiles was still dressed in. Stiles shivered at that, and the smell became stronger. It had to be his arousal. Peter wanted that scent filling up his nose. He sat up, moving his hands to hold Stiles right where he wanted him as he sat up. Stiles purred a little as Peter nosed at his neck. The scent of his arousal was pungent there. Peter loved it. He licked at the skin there. 

"Keep on doing that."

"I have plans, and they don't involve us staying in bed all morning."

"Pout," Stiles said with a quirk to his lips. He looked Peter in the eyes and then leaned in. 

Peter met him halfway for the kiss. It was simple and chaste but something that Peter really liked. He smiled into the kiss when Stiles ducked in for another. 

"How do you feel about breakfast, then we can go clothes shopping for you, then food shopping. We can wash the clothes to get rid of any scents when we get back and head down to the beach and spend the afternoon. The beach to the right of the cliff is private to just me, and so we would be alone. You can bring your pelt or not."

"Hmm, that sounds good. I like Cheetos and curly fries, so you had better make sure that we get both or there will be an issue."

"Then we can add in lunch before we come home. Stop and grab something to go from one of the fast-food places in town that makes curly fries."

Stiles nodded his head as he looped his arms around Peter's neck. "You are mine now."

Peter nodded his head because he wasn't fully sure what Stiles meant by that, but he was more than willing to submit to whatever it meant as long as he got to keep this beguiling creature with him for as long as he wanted to remain in human form.

The morning passed quickly, and Peter found that Stiles' choice in clothing left a little something to be desired. At least on him, they looked a little better than Peter thought they were considering that he was wearing flannel and many layers. The graphic t-shirts and jeans were good choices, it was the layers part that he had an issue with. There was also the fact that Stiles found one hoodie that he liked, and it was red. It made Peter think that Stiles was fucking with him and playing around with the Red Riding Hood fairy tale, but Stiles' eyes as he took in the look of his body in it said that Stiles really liked it. He grinned and allowed Stiles to pick a few more graphic shirts. There was the fight over shoes as Peter wanted him to get sandals of some kind, but Stiles wanted real shoes and wouldn't budge on that. He didn't like his feet being where things could get at them; it seemed so Peter relented. 

Stiles ate just like a wolf, and breakfast and lunch were both huge meals. He figured that as a seal, Stiles was able to just catch the food that he wanted at any given point in time, so they didn't eat nearly as many big meals as humans but a lot of small ones. Yet, he could still put away enough that Peter had flashbacks to when Derek and Cora were teenagers. Peter shook his head and grinned as he watched Stiles munching on the to-go large curly fry that they had picked up at the place just at the edge of town after eating lunch at a different place just up the road. It was kind of nice to have someone with him that had no wants other than pleasure.

"What about your work?" Stiles asked.

"Well, I was going to bring my pad down to the beach and block out a few of the scenes while you played in the water or napped. I can do the more complicated stuff in the house after we tire of here. Then we can eat dinner, and I can do more after while you laze about in front of the fire again."

"You just drew me last night."

"Yes, I did. I take my inspiration where I can get it." 

Stiles was grinning at him, and then he stuffed a large curly fry in his mouth. Peter looked back at the road so that Stiles couldn't see the grin on his face at full force. 

* * *

Peter had his eyes closed and was feeling the moon on his face as he laid on the beach and listened to Stiles as he played in the surf. It was the full moon and Peter's last night at the house. He was packing up and leaving in the morning and heading home to Beacon Hills. He was ready to go home, even if part of him wanted to stay here forever with Stiles. There had been nothing between them except for kisses here and there, and after the second night in the house, Stiles had moved into Peter's bedroom, and he hadn't left. It was as close to perfect as Peter had found in a long time. 

A bark had Peter moving to where he was braced up on his elbows, and he looked at the surf to see Stiles looking at him. In his seal form, his eyes glowed a bright green. 

"I told you that I am not." Peter laid back down and knew it would be only minutes before Stiles was up beside him and shaking water and sand all over him. He was already naked in deference to how this had gone every other night. There wasn't much at all that Peter could do to keep himself from getting sand and water all over him with Stiles in a playful mood. His Pack hadn't been back yet, there had been no seals in the area at all from what Peter had seen during the day. Peter wasn't sure how he felt about Stiles being left here. 

A fish landed on Peter's chest, still alive and flopping about. Peter shoved it off with a glare in the direction of Stiles. Now he smelled like fish. It was Stiles upping his game on getting him into the water. It was not nearly as wild as it had been when they had slipped down as the sun began to set. Peter was sure that he could get in there now, but it had been a game between them that Stiles had obviously won.

"Fine." Peter sat up all the way, and Stiles dove for the fish, eating it. Peter couldn't even muster up any disgust. He had eaten bunnies in his wolf form before. Squirrels were harder to get, but he had snagged a few before. It was all perfectly fine. Stiles got behind Peter as he stood up and kept on bumping him in the ass to get him moving quicker. The feel of whiskers on his ass tickled, and he tried to bat Stiles away, but he was having none of it. Peter stepped into the water and stopped when it was licking at his knees to turn around and look at Stiles, who was on the edge of the water. "Well?"

Stiles barked and came running at him. Peter understood what he was doing but wasn't able to get out of the way in time to be barreled over by a very excited seal. Peter felt the water crack over his skin as he went down, and he was able to gulp in the air when Stiles took him out at the knees. Stiles thankfully didn't stay on top of him, letting his body float back up and Peter to get to where he was on his back and not on his front anymore. It was cold, the water was to his skin, but his inner warmth kept him warm. 

Stiles swam up beside him as Peter got further out into the water. The water was actually pretty peaceful when one got away from where the waves rolled and crashed on the beach. Peter dived down and opened his eyes, shifting into his Beta form so that he could see Stiles swimming in the dark. Stiles was graceful under the water, showing off for Peter. At one point, he swam right at Peter and dove down at the right moment and under Peter. Peter laughed and swam up to get anther few breaths above the water before going down again. 

Peter felt the pull of Pack to the Selkie and wondered if that meant that Peter could be his Pack if Peter's Pack would be enough to support him. He wanted to ask for Stiles to come with him. There was a huge lake in the Preserve that few knew about. It was on Hale land, and it was where the Pack got to be themselves. It could become Stiles' home when he needed to be a seal for a while, and then Peter's home could be his when he needed to be human. 

Hours later, Peter felt himself start to tire, and Stiles swam up to him, and Peter watched him arc his head toward the beach, and Peter nodded. He followed the Selkie to the surf and then up, watching as Stiles change from mammal to human with the same ease that Peter knew he did with his full-shift form. Peter had played with Stiles in the surf the night before in that form. He liked to run in the woods in his wolf form, but playing in the water was nearly as good, as long as Stiles was with him. 

Peter laughed as Stiles shook his head to get rid of the lingering water. 

"Ready for the fire, Peter," Stiles said, and he yawned. He pulled his pelt across his shoulders even tighter and looked at the blanket where Peter had been lying before. Peter picked it up and shook it out. They would both be hosing off before they headed inside, so the little sand on it wasn't going to be a big issue on Stiles. He wrapped it around Stiles and held him tightly for a few seconds before he stepped back. He reached up and cupped the sides of Stiles' face. 

"Come home with me. Come and stay with me. I have a lake on my land. It doesn't have a house or anything, but it's huge, and it's private. If you don't like it, I'll take you wherever you need to go to find your Pack, I promise."

Stiles looked at Peter, his breathing soft and even. His eyes were searching for something in Peter's eyes, and he must have found it because he wrapped Peter in a hug and nodded his head in agreement. 

"I need you to say the words, Stiles."

"I want to see where you live and see this lake. My home had a huge lake, and mom used to take us out there. I miss it. I bet your lake is just as awesome." 

Peter kissed him, turning it into something that they hadn't done yet to tell Stiles how happy he was with the fact that Stiles was coming home with him. 

* * *

Just at the city's edge, Stiles woke up. They had passed the Welcome to Beacon Hills sign a few minutes back. Stiles was wiping the tiredness from his eyes. They had gotten a much later start than Peter would have wanted, so they stopped at the hotel and stayed the night two hours from Beacon Hills as Stiles had been sick of being in the car. Peter had been okay with it but had texted Chris that he was stopping for the night. The Pack had all been warned about him bringing someone home. The identity of the person was not known to any of them. 

"Hey, sleepyhead."

"Hey," Stiles said as he pushed himself up. He swallowed. Peter stopped at the stop sign and looked at Stiles closer. He looked a little freaked out, actually. 

"Stiles?"

"Why are we stopping here?" Stiles asked. He was breathing harder. 

Peter wasn't sure what was going on, but he was now worried about him. "This is where I live." Peter pressed the gas when it was his turn to go at the four-way stop. 

"Oh!" Stiles grabbed his seat belt and tried to jerk on it. He growled a little. "STOP!"

Peter pulled off and hoped that no one griped at him. He saw the Sheriff up ahead, walking with Deputy Parrish. Peter reached out, but Stiles jerked so hard that the belt ripped. He shoved so hard that Peter heard the handle on the door crack. Stiles flung himself out of the car. Peter got out as quickly as he could and saw Stiles running full tilt at the Sheriff. He was worried for a few seconds that he was about to watch Stiles attack him, but all Stiles did was jump at him and hug him so hard that Noah was tipped back onto his back. Parrish grabbed his gun and looked like he was going to aim it at Stiles. Peter took off running, and he grabbed Parrish's hand to stop him.

Stiles' words were barely audible, but Peter could hear the word alive a few times and then Daddy. Peter looked at Stiles' back in shock. Stiles was Noah's kid? He had brought Stiles back to his father. 

"Son, you need to let me go so I can help you," Noah said. 

Stiles wasn't letting go, though. His words weren't audible anymore. Peter sighed, walked to the car, and grabbed the backpack he had bought for Stiles to carry his pelt around. There was a pocket that was just big enough. Thankfully, no one around them was looking at the moment a few people were looking, but no one was getting close. Peter unzipped the bag.

"Noah, you might wanna look at this." Peter tried to keep his voice calm and steady, but it wasn't working out well for him. 

"Peter get this kid off of me," Noah said. He was at least looking at Peter when he said it, so Peter just pulled out a part of the pelt. Noah's eyes widened, and he looked at the top of Stiles' head and then wrapped his arms around him. "Mieczysław."

Parrish's eyes widened, and then there was the sound of running feet. It was Derek, Cora, and Spencer, as well as Chris trailing behind.

"What's going on?" Chris demanded. He looked ready to pull Stiles off of Noah.

"Chris, what's the name of Noah's kid?" Peter asked.

Chris just glared at him but didn't say a word.

'Wouldn't happen to be Stiles, would it?" Peter asked.

"You are an-" Chris stopped as he looked at what Peter had in his hand and then down at Stiles on Noah. "Shit." 

"What's going on?" Spencer asked.

"Why don't we move this inside somewhere? Parrish, tell the station that Noah's come down sick."

"Nah, I'll tell them that Stiles is home. That'll get a few of them giving up vacation time to make sure that he can spend time with him. They are all going to be happy. How did you find him?"

"I wasn't even looking for him. He just happened to be at the beach. I got to liking him, and I was bringing him back to see if he wanted to join the Pack. He liked the sound of living in the Preserve at the lake when he wanted to be himself."

"Be himself?" Cora asked.

"Let's go inside," Chris said. He looked down and sighed.

Peter knew that they would be hard-pressed to get the two of them up without Stiles slashing at someone. Peter had found out that while he couldn't turn into a seal without his pelt, he could still grow claws and a row of sharp teeth if he was pissed off enough. He had been sliced up once when he had tried to steal food from him. 

"He smells weird," Cora said.

Peter reached out and slapped her upside the back of her head. He growled at her and pointed toward where the house was. "You three head back. Get some curly fries from the diner. I'm sure if you told the crone who runs it who they are for, she would gladly make some. He didn't eat a lot of breakfast, so Stiles is probably hungry. Chris, help me get them up. It can't be good for Noah's back to be on the ground with an overgrown seal on him."

"Seal..." Parrish looked down at Stiles and then groaned. "You know I never figured out why he was always checking East Coast beaches."

"What?" Peter asked.

"He would have footage sent from various beaches where petty thefts happened. You didn't go to the East though, did you?"

"No. I went north. Tip of California. He went home to his mother's Pack."

"Shit." Parrish rubbed his hand over his face. "I'll make sure he gets some time off. You two get him home. I'll stop by and talk to Stiles tonight when I get off of shift." 

Peter looked down and reached down to grab Stiles by his arms, then he lifted up as Chris got a hold of Noah under his shoulders. They pulled them both up, and as soon as they were stable, Noah wrapped his arms around his son and held him tightly to his body. Stiles held him just as tight, and when Peter looked, he could see the claws coming out his fingertips. 

"My car is right up here. We can put them in the back. Stiles' and I's stuff is in the trunk." 

It took a few minutes to get them going because Stiles wasn't letting go of his father, and Noah was just as bad. Peter ended up having to pull Stiles off of him. Finally, though, they were on their way toward Noah's house. 

"How in the hell did you find him?" Chris asked. He pulled on the seat belt and frowned when he found it ripped. Peter pointed back to Stiles, Chris barked off a laugh and let it go. 

"I wasn't even looking for him. I saw a few seals playing in the rain, and I was watching them, and there were a few who were being mean to one. The seal stayed behind on the beach, and then he noticed me. He came up the beach, and I don't know what possessed him to show himself, but he took off his pelt and turned human. He only ever gave me his first name, and he said hew as orphaned. I talked him into staying with me because I was intrigued. We wrote an entire chapter for the bestiary on Selkies. He played, and I worked."

"You are in love with him," Chris said.

"I've not touched him, not fully. I wanted him here and to see if he could live here because I went that far with him. We've kissed and slept in the same bed. We have a tentative Pack bond." Peter looked back to see that Stiles was asleep in Noah's arms. He looked so young and innocent now. Peter could also see how much he looked like his father now that they were side by side. He wondered how he had missed it before. 

"Gerard told me about a family of Selkies that used to live here and that they left before the Argents could figure out how to get one of them to give them their pelt. I wonder if that was Stiles' mother and Stiles. It was something that he regretted. Not many choose to live like this. There are Packs all up and down the coasts, but they live in whole towns together."

"Stiles told me about a lake his mother used to take him to. I assume that Talia allowed them to use the one in the Preserve that is on Hale land." 

Chris pulled into the driveway just as his niece and nephews were running onto the porch. Cora was walking toward the door, and she pushed on something on the wall, and Peter watcher her pull out a key and open the house. 

Stiles laughed in the backseat, and Peter turned to look at him. He watched as Stiles climbed out of the car and ran up to Cora and hugged her tightly. Peter remembered a boy in school that Cora had talked about, but she called him something. 

"I forgot that Stiles and Cora were friends," Noah said.

"Really?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, that was before he had taken on the name Stiles. His first name is a mess, and so he went my Mischief. It was as close as he could get to saying it. Let's go. Stiles is bound to be in his room."

Peter waited until Noah had passed by before he got out of the car. He watched as Derek and Spencer just looked on in shock before heading in. Peter could hear Stiles talking as he made his way up the stairs, he was eating something, probably curly fries. He could smell them. Thankfully, Stiles played in the water as much as he did as otherwise, he would be fat. 

Derek and Spencer thankfully stayed down in the living room while Peter and Chris followed Noah up to Stiles' room. The door was open, and even though it had been years since Stiles had been in there, Peter could smell the faded scent of him. The room smelled right, now with Stiles' scent and it smelling happy. 

"I never thought you would go to them," Noah said after a few minutes of silence from Stiles. 

"They were the only family I had left. They said...I heard them say that you were dead. I heard it."

"It was a rookie who used the wrong code, and then he freaked out, and no one realized you were listening until Tara came here and found the radio on. She looked for you. She took a month off and went to the all of the beaches you talked about wanting to go to. She looked. Trying to find a seal with green eyes and never did. I started my search across the country. I debated having the Hales ask every single Pack they know that lives near water, but then I just...couldn't give you up like that." 

"It's okay. I'm okay. I mean, I can be better, but I'll be better now. I'm home. You're alive. I just...I woke up, and I thought that I was dreaming, but Peter was there. I knew the town as soon as I opened my eyes. Then while we were stopped at the sign, I heard your laugh. I looked, and there you were. I cut myself getting the belt off, and I knew I wasn't dreaming. I could count my fingers." Stiles looked like he was close to tears again, and Noah stepped up and pulled him in tight.

Cora patted Peter's shoulder as she left the room. 

"Can we have pizza for lunch? Peter doesn't like it the way that I do, and you do. Please, Daddio?" Stiles asked.

"You just ate a large curly fry!" Cora yelled. 

"I'm a growing boy!" Stiles yelled back. 

"Dear God, I don't think that I can do this." Noah was laughing as he spoke. 

"That's normal?" Chris asked.

"Yes. Those two yell to show their love. It wasn't strange to have them yell from room to room to talk. So pizza all around. Chris, if you call my favorite place and order it. Ask for a large pizza like Stiles likes it, and they will know. Even after all this time." 

"Sure." Chris turned and left the room, and then it was just three of them. 

Peter could feel Noah's eyes on him. 

"He's in love with you," Noah said. 

Peter opened his mouth to yell at Noah, but Noah wasn't saying that about Stiles to Peter. He was saying it about Peter to Stiles. 

"I know. It's why I came with him. He promised me a lake when I wanted to be in my other skin. He's been a perfect gentleman to me the entire month I've been around him."

"He's a good man. I saw he had your pelt."

"I didn't give it to him. It stays in the backpack that he bought me when I'm not wearing it. He's never held out his hand for it or anything. He's very polite with it."

Noah smiled and looked at Peter. "I'm going to go and check in with Parrish and let the guys know I'm taking two weeks off. They have been pushing me for time off for three months. We can go out to the lake tomorrow. Show Peter the back path that you and your mother wore into the ground going out there."

Stiles turned and hugged his father again, looking at him like he was looking at the best possession in the world right there. Peter could see the love that Stiles had for his father, and he could also see why Stiles had run away. To face this town without him would have killed Stiles. The county loved their Sheriff, yes, but the people of Beacon Hills treated him like minor royalty. Peter had heard more than one of the citizens admonishing Noah in place of what he found out his son would have done. Like when he had eaten burgers for dinner every day one week during a horrible case. 

"I'll yell when pizza is here," Noah said. He walked away only to stop at the door and look back at Stiles. He had a smile on his face like he wasn't sure that he saw this. Peter figured that Noah would be checking on him several times a night until he was sure that it wasn't a dream. He grinned and then finally turned away. 

"I'm glad I talked you into coming with me."

"I'm glad that you never said the name of where you lived. I would have left you like a wet towel on the floor." 

"Disappeared into the water to never return again?" Peter asked. 

Stiles nodded his head and walked over to where Peter was. He waited for Peter to turn to where he was fully sitting on the bed, and then he climbed into Peter's lap. 

"Though, you probably would have come back here and told Dad about it. I'm sure. You seem like that kind of tattle-tale. Then he would have come running to the area. I don't know if I would have stayed. He...he was my world. After mom died. He loved me and made sure that I had love. I would have burned the world for him. I still would. I...I killed me when I heard that go out. I grabbed my pelt and raided the emergency money that was in the safe in his bedroom, and I ran. I didn't stop. I knew roughly where Mom's Pack called home, but they travel with the tides and the fish. It took six months for me to find them. By that point in time, I was living off the fish that I could find when I was in my pelt. I was becoming more and more seal. There are members of the Pack that haven't taken off their pelt in years. For a while, that was me. I existed just as the seal."

"Yet, you showed yourself to me. You've never told me why."

"You watched us. I saw you walking on the beach, and then you just watched us. The pups with me were...mean and I hated it. I'm an adult, yes, but still because my mother was dead, I'm still considered a child. I don't get to do things with the rest of the Pack except watch the pups. A few hate it. I was getting tired, and I tried to get them to settle down before they drew other eyes, but they hurt me. It's okay for them to do that, but it's not good when I give back. So I've learned to just leave for a few days. They beg for me to come back to take care of the pups again and the few that like me miss me. But you were you. You didn't look at me like I was broken. You didn't think I was strange. You offered up riches and goods and never wanted anything in return except for words on paper and my company. I knew you were falling in love with me, I knew it, and I didn't care. I have cared for you, and something burns inside when I think of you, but I don't know if I would call it love. You make me want to be happy. You made me want to see if I could stay with you, despite leaving the only Pack that I had left, the only family. I wanted it."

"And I'm glad that you did. I'm not going to shove you away from me, Stiles. No one ever falls in love the same way and at the same time. You were strong, despite your Pack not wanting you. You lived on with them because it as the only connection that you had. As soon as I connected you and Noah together, I figured out why you left. I never understood that, hearing Chris tell the tale of what happened. But then I really got it. This town would have smothered you if he had died. Though also finding out that you are his son also told me why he never seemed to look for you like he would a true missing person. You could have been anywhere in the world, taking off as a seal meant you were not going to pop up on a video feed anywhere as a human."

Peter cupped the sides of Stiles' cheeks and pulled him down and close. He rubbed their noses together. "I would wait forever for you, dear one, to love me like I love you."

Stiles closed the distance between their mouths and kissed Peter hard. It was beautiful to feel all of the emotions that Stiles was too scared to say in the kiss. Peter knew that Stiles loved him in his own way. He would say the words one day when things were more settled, and Stiles himself felt more like a human instead of a seal. He just knew it.

* * *

Peter heard the howl of a wolf and turned to see Cora trotting into the clearing. She was not carrying anything, and Peter knew that it meant that the rest of the Pack was going to be carrying a little more. She trotted over to the end of the dock that floated flush with the water; it not moving since the lake was calm. She lapped up some water and looked out to see if she could see something. Peter grinned as he saw the movement just behind her. Water arced over her furred body, and then Stiles was slipping under the water and making his way toward the center of the lake where he was safe from wolves. 

"Those two are adorable," Chris said as he dropped the cooler full of meat on the stand beside the grill. The winter had been spent turning the lake into a place where the whole Pack would be happy, which included building a brick grill. It was kind of great to get lost out there. There was the full dock that was built to have a boat tied to it, but they hadn't decided on a boat that everyone wanted yet. Chris wanted to be able to fish, and they were making sure that the lake stayed stocked in fish that Stiles liked to eat, so there was more than enough fish for Chris to snag some.

The dock that Cora was still sitting on and barking at the shape of Stiles taunting her was for laying on while sunbathing and for Stiles to land on when he was playing. The small house just in the trees was getting a revamp to be turned into something that had WiFi and all other modern appliances that the younger ones wanted. There was also a place for changing being built closer to the water. For now, everyone was doing it in the trees if they were human and didn't want to do it in front of everyone or in the open if they were wolves. 

"Get up here, or you aren't getting your sushi!" Noah yelled as he appeared in the trees. He knew his son best and that Stiles wasn't leaving the water for anything unless he was made. And sushi was the best thing. It was the only way to get him to eat anything from the sea while in human form. He liked the taste of things like that raw instead of cooked. 

The Pack was growing bigger with Stiles' human best friend joining the ranks, and taking the bite after an asthma attack had him nearly dying on Stiles. Peter had gladly bit him once he was healed up from that, and both Peter and Chris had been able to sit down and talk to him. It didn't hurt that Allison liked him and she wanted to keep him around for a while so that she could get to know him better and what Allison wanted, Chris would give her if it was legal. 

"Dude, pants!" Scott yelled as he shielded his eyes as Stiles pulled himself up onto the dock in his human form. Cora was there and bit at his ankles, but all he did was shake and get her even wetter. Cora ran away, and as she did, she shifted to human form, grabbing her clothes that Derek dropped in the grass. 

Stiles laughed at Scott and walked over to where Peter was at the grill. He stayed behind him and away from the flames, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he snagged a potato from the grill. Peter whacked his hand with the turner in his hands. 

"Hey!"

"You have sushi, go eat that while I work on the rest of the food."

Stiles pouted, but he went over to where the table and chairs were laid out for all of them to sit at. There were three sushi containers for him, and he grabbed the chopsticks and started in on them. 

The thinness that Peter had thought was just part of Stiles was the fact that he wasn't eating as he should have been as a seal while with his other Pack. 

"At least my dad feeds me!" Stiles yelled out.

That got everyone else laughing. Stiles was a little shit that loved to pit Noah and Peter against each other to get what he wanted. Noah gave in more than Peter, but then Noah felt like he had a lot to make up for. 

Stiles lived with his father, and Peter was pretty sure that he wasn't ever going to leave his house. He stayed at Peter's a few nights a week, but he didn't like to be away from his father for too long. Peter had plans for that. He was already working on the plans for the new Pack House. Chris was helping him figure out where they wanted to put it. After the fire, they had lived in town for the shelter that it gave, but Beacon Hills was pretty safe now, and there had been no one but Pack and those seeking to live in the shelter of the city for a while. 

"How are you feeling?" Noah asked.

Peter turned to see that Stiles looked mostly healed up. He had put on swimming trunks, but that was it. His back looked horrible, but it was just red from healing. A Mountain Lion had attacked him where he had been sunning himself on the deck by the lake the week before. He had slipped down into the water after it had happened and stayed there until someone had realized that he wasn't home when he should have been. Noah had gone with Peter to check the lake. 

Stiles had been found asleep on the deck before, after tiring himself out playing chase with the lake's fish. The smell of blood though, had been the first time that Peter had smelled. He knew the scent of Stiles' blood anywhere, even in seal form. Peter had run to the water's edge and slipped his hand under, shaking it until Stiles had come over to him. He had been stuck in seal for until the wound started to close enough to where shifting back wasn't going to hurt him worse. 

The mountain lion had to be run off the area as it kept on coming back. Peter was pretty sure that he had chased it off. Today, though, was the first day that Stiles had come back out to the lake, and he wasn't going to do it alone. He had been putting off Peter for days until finally him and Noah had made these plans. It was a Saturday, and everyone had it off. Peter had plans to keep them out here all day so that Stiles could play. He would get everyone into the lake later, and Stiles could play with them as a human or as a seal. As long as he was here, Peter didn't care. 

"Worrywolf," Stiles said as he came up behind Peter, wrapping his arms around him. 

"I'm your worrywolf, though," Peter said. He flipped the last bit of chicken on the grill and laid down the tongs before turning so that he could hug Stiles back. "Having a good day?"

"Yes. This is the best. Cora's already promised to try and beat me in a race in the water later with her as a human and me as a seal. I'm gonna need all of the food."

"Well, then it's good that I am making enough for everyone and your pudgy butt, huh?" Peter poked Stiles in his side. He had more muscle on him now, and that's what Peter hit. The only bit of skin that had fat around it was a little rounding on his cheeks that his father called baby fat. He should have been long grown out of it, but Peter was sure that once his body was used to having good meals consistently, it would go down. He had seen it happen to wolves after they had been kept by Hunters for months and denied enough food.

"Hmm," Stiles hummed, and he closed his eyes. Peter could feel the lashes brushing his skin. He hated the smell of the grill on his shirts, so he never wore on when cooking. It was over in his bag. 

Peter could be happy with this forever. He wrapped his arms tighter around Stiles and just let himself exist for a little while. The Pack was happy and healthy, and he had a mate. That was all that mattered.

# The End

**Author's Note:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to stress over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story! 
> 
> I can be found on MeWe [here](https://mewe.com/i/beccaqueen1), join me there and we can discuss my fics and whatnot. 


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